Smokable Dried Herbs; Context, Texture & Flavor

Which herbs are safe for smoking❔

A thumb rule of herbal smoke experimentation is; "if it's safe for drinking, it's safe for smoking".

However, unlike herbal teas - we need our selected dried herbs to remain dry before smoking them!

Another similarity between herbal teas and herbal smoking is; 

The more herbs you'll add - The more benefits you’ll reap!

But which herbs burn best for smoking❔

When in-search of smokable herbs -

Firstly, we examine the medicinal properties and flavor profiles...

Information about each and every Origanics selected herbs is at the bottom of this journal entry.

Secondly, we search for the softer dried herbs kinds, because they will mesh together and burn evenly throughout our tokes.

Raspberry leaf & Damiana leaf are the largest and fluffiest smokable leaves!
They are the base-herbs of the herbal smoking realm, as all of the other smokable herbs tend to latch onto them inside of a well-balanced herbal smoke blend.

Thirdly, we now have to sift away the stems and sticks.

Leaf and powder help us maintain a smooth burn, while sticks and stems don’t burn or taste well. Tossing them away also protects paper-wrappers from getting punctured. Most of the Origanics’ workload is purely sifting!

How to smoke by using paper-wrappers❔

When in-search of rolling herbal smokes or filling pre-rolled cones - 

Remember to only use cut-up leaves & powders, to protect the wrapping paper from deforming.

Also, unbleached hemp paper is the least toxic kind of paper-wrapper for smoking.

When in-search of smoking dried herbs in a pipe -

It’s still best to first cut & grind the herbs, to achieve the full-absorption of your herbal medley!

Wooden and Glass pipes are both great options.

Glass is quicker to clean & dry, yet wood offers more flavor and product life-time.

Which smokable herbs are used in Origanics Herbal Blends❔

Raspberry Leaf

Dried Raspberry leaves - Prior to sifting the stems.

Despite originating from the same plant as raspberries, Raspberry leaves do not taste like raspberries. It has a unique flavor profile that is earthy, slightly sweet, and slightly bitter, with a delicate herbal aroma.

Raspberry yields an earthy-fresh tone, and it bands all of the other herbs inside of an herbal blend all together, within its thick leaves!
Therefore, in the herbal smoking realm - Raspberry leaf is a ‘base herb’.

Peppermint & Spearmint Leaf

Dried Peppermint leaves - Prior to sifting the stems.

Peppermint is a hybrid of Spearmint and Water-mint; A strongly aromatic perennial herb of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Peppermint has a sweet and spicy flavor, with a cooling aftertaste.

Dried Spearmint leaves

Spearmint strongly resembles peppermint, but with lance-shaped (sword-like) leaves that are stem-less. Its sweet flavor offers hints of citrus, and imparts a cooling and relaxing sensation to the mouth.

Both of these mints leaves are soft and flavorful. Some herbal blends use Peppermint, some use Spearmint, and some use both.
It just depends on our which flavor best suits the herbal blend; Spicy-sweet Peppermint, or the Herbal-sweet Spearmint!

Lemon Balm Leaf

Dried Lemon Balm leaves - Prior to sifting the stems.

Lemon balm’s wrinkled toothed leaves are roughly heart-shaped or oval. This aromatic member of the mint family has a bright, citrusy taste that brings together the acidity of lemon with subtle hints of mint.

This is another soft mint to complement the Raspberry leaves inside of a well-balanced herbal smoke blend.
Lemon Balm leaves produce a lemony - citrus flavor, which subtly complements the Spearmint's sweet taste.
However, its subtle aroma often gets lost within the Peppermint’s spice - if it’s not used in an herbal blend with an ample degree.

Basil Leaf

Dried Basil leaves -
Prior to sifting the stems.

Basil leaves are large, somewhat delicate, and have a smooth texture marked with a series of veins.

Freshly dried Basil leaves offer anise, clove & herbal-sweet notes that will uplift any raspberry leaf-based herbal blend into a heavenly smoking experience!

Rose Petals & Powders

Red Rose Petals & Powders

Roses have a hint of a fruity flavor, reminiscent of raspberries, mixed with a perfumed, spice-like undertone. The flavor can also differ between varieties and colors of roses, with some tasting sweeter or more tart than others.

Elegant Rose petals will surely highlight your herbal medley with their breath-taking appearance and bitter-sweet aroma.
Rose powders fill up airgaps in-between all of the dried herbs - which promotes the full-absorption of your loose-leaf herbal blend!

Coltsfoot Leaf & Powders

Dried Coltsfoot Leaves

If you taste a fresh or a dried coltsfoot leaf, it really doesn't have much taste - perhaps a fine hint of celery flavor. But if you burn it, the resulting ash tastes salty! Admittedly it's a smoked salt taste, but definitely salty!

Coltsfoot leaves & powders helps smokers to reduce phlegm, while also allowing us an instant & long-term cough-relief!
Its leaves harden after being dried, which is why it’s best to grind the leaves into powder before rolling your own herbal smokes.

Damiana Leaf & Powder

Dried Damiana Leaf -
Prior to sifting the stems

Damiana shrub, also known as Old Woman's Broom, is a cousin to the passionflower vine. It has a somewhat bitter flavor with a slightly sweet, mildly earthy aroma, which resembles the flavor of CBD cannabis flowers.
Damiana offers a non-hallucinogenic euphoria. It’s soothingly counteractive to the effects of THC cannabinoids.

Damiana belongs to the Passifloraceae family, and offers us sweet & earthy tones. While traditionally Damiana has been used by men seeking to increase sexual potency, women too may find that they have a better sexual experience from smoking damiana as well. Also, Damiana works to tone the intestines and allows you to go to the bathroom more regularly. It’s considered a cure-all for people to this day, and you may find that it works for you too.

Herbal Smoke Blending 101

Preparing herbs to be smoked in paper-wrappers

Let’s begin by examining these smokable herbal mints; Raspberry, Lemon Balm, Peppermint, Spearmint & Basil leaves must be sifted of stems, as stems often puncture the wrapping paper and/or deform its spiral shape.
An herbal cigarette with an imperfect spiral shape will disrupt the airflow - causing you to cough.

Another 3 smokable herbs are Rose petals, Coltsfoot leaf, and Damiana leaf; In addition to also having to be sifted of stems, Roses, Coltsfoot, and Damiana are best smoked after they’ve all been ground into powder, as their texture isn’t as soft as the herbal mints that I’ve mentioned above.

Herbal powders are highly-useful in order to achieve an herbaceously rich smoking experience, as they fill up airgaps in-between all of the dried herbs, as well as between the herbs and the wrapping-paper - which promotes the fullest absorption of any loose-leaf herbal smoke blend.